WSOP Asia-Pacific Schedule Unveiled for Crown Melbourne Casino

The World Series of Poker has posted the official schedule for its upcoming tournament series in Australia at the Crown Melbourne Casino (which is also the home of the Aussie Millions tournament series). The inaugural World Series of Poker Asia-Pacific, or WSOP APAC for short, will run from April 4th to April 15th, 2013.

The tournament series will feature seven events, five of which WSOP bracelets to the champions. In addition to the $10,000 Main Event, the WSOP APAC series will host a $50,000 high-roller tournament (one of the two non-bracelet tournaments), as well as an interesting new format the WSOP is calling “The Accumulator”. The “Accumulator” tournament will feature a $1,100 buy-in and three starting days; players can enter on as many days as they choose and all chips they have accumulated over the Day 1 flights will be given to them at the start of Day 2 –sort of like a reentry tournament on PED’s.

While I’m not really high on the “Accumulator” format (it seems to favor players with deep pockets and anyone entering on only one or two days would seem to be at an extreme disadvantage) it’s an interesting formatting tweak, so I’ll let it play out before passing any further judgment.

“Ever since Australian Joe Hachem won the WSOP Main Event in 2005, we dreamed of the day we could hear Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, Oi Oi, Oi on native soil,” said WSOP Executive Director Ty Stewart. “We can’t wait for the first WSOP Asia-Pacific to begin, and we hope with a solidified schedule, players from around the globe will plan their trip to Melbourne in April as we make WSOP history awarding the first bracelets in the Southern Hemisphere.”

Stewart went on to add, “Most of the top players take multiple trips to European tournaments these days,” notes Stewart. “The travel time to Melbourne is essentially the same as venues in Europe, and everyone who visits Crown can’t wait to return.”

Here is a look at the 2013 WSOP APAC schedule that was released earlier today at the WSOP website:

With over a decade in the industry Steve can be categorized as an official poker junkie, having played poker in locales from Foxwoods to Las Vegas and even in Europe. Steve is a former professional poker player who transitioned to the more serene life of poker media in 2009 to spend more time with his family. Steve currently lives on the East Coast and is married with two kids.